Effect of Oral Administration of Pure Gossypol and of Pigment Glands of Cottonseed on Mortality and Growth of Chicks

NUMEROUS investigations have established the high nutritive value of properly heated cottonseed meal. The deleterious physiological properties of unheated cottonseed meal have been attributed to the presence of gossypol, a yellow pigment, which in the intact seed is localized in so-called pigment glands. Boatner et al. (1948) presented an extensive literature review on the different methods of gossypol removal from cottonseed meal and on the effects of extracted cottonseed meal upon the growth and mortality of chicks. They also reported that pure gossypol when incorporated in the diet produced relatively little retardation in the growth of chicks. This finding conflicted with the generally accepted views of gossypol toxicity. It seemed possible that pure gossypol added to a feed mixture might react with other constituents and be detoxified, and that gossypol occurring in pigment glands or in cottonseed meal might be protected from such a reaction. Therefore experiments were planned in . . .